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If anarchy involves voluntarism, and voluntarism allows free association, it seems to me that free association leads to at least small jurisdictions due to competitive benefits. Minarchism therefore seems as a more likely goal to move toward.

1. Individuals form families

2. Individuals form communities

3. Individuals congregate into towns or cities

The anarchist term 'statist' simply denounces the voluntary congregation of individuals into a jurisdiction.

Personally I believe in small, competing jurisdictions, between the size of a town, upward to the size of a municipality or county.

We can never solve deep divides such as the matter of abortions. The only possible outcome that I see is having competing jurisdictions either allowing or disallowing abortion, while adults vote with their feet.

In terms of practical matters of defense, that's a more complex dimension since it involves future uncertainty, which will differ from geographical regions.

Jac 2y ago

I think it is largely a matter of definition and distinction. Most people I meet who identify as anarchists are actually agorists. I think there is a place and time for anarchy, but it is not a method of governance in much the same way that democracy is not a suitable method of governance. As with so many things, the answer is not a dichotomy, but a gradient.

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Discussion

Leo Fernevak 2y ago

Agreed. Yet I often hear people throw around the term 'statist', but it doesn't form an argument by itself.

I don't have a problem with individuals voluntarily forming a state. If I respect their voluntary statehood, then that would be enough to make me a 'statist'. I.e. respect for voluntarism becomes statism.

Being practical, I think the idea of complete anarchy is interesting and deserving to be tested, but I can't assume that it will work before the code is run and evaluated, so to speak.

If we have a plethora of small jurisdictions competing for capital, entrepreneurs, skills and workers, that would be a perfectly fine voluntarist solution, even though it qualifies as 'statist'.

Jac 2y ago

Yep, another way to describe this, I believe is autocratic communities. I believe that diverse community is the key. Peaceful cooperation through respect, even if that respect is brokered through mutually assured destruction.